Machine for running together bevel or hypoid gears to determine optimum running position of one gear relative to another

ABSTRACT

A gear testing machine is provided with a manual adjustment means for adjusting position of one gear of a pair relative to another gear of the pair while the gears are running together in meshing engagement. The manual adjustment means includes a safety feature which prevents running engagement of the pair of gears unless the operator of the machine has each hand in place on control switches which must be simultaneously actuated before the machine can be started.

11111 -3,7'95-,"143 Mar. 5, 1974 Condon Deprez et al. 1

' [54] MACHINE E0R RU NING TOGETHER 1,911,435 5/1933 BEVEL 0R HYPOID.GEARS TO DETERMINE OPTIMUM RUNNING POSITION OF ONE GEAR RELATIVE ToMymle ANOTHER I I Ass stant Exammerl)enis E. Corr I Attorney, Agent, orFIrm-Ralph E. Harper [75] Inventors: ThomasA. Deprez; Frank M. 1 1

Whalley', 011 r RQchesterQNlY. I 73 As signee: Gleason Works S.A.,Bauclour,

ABSTRACT I i511 i Belgium I I I A gear testing machine is provided wi Ith a manual adjustment means for adjusting position of one gear of apair relative to another gear of the pair while the gears.

g together. in meshing engagement. The ustmentmeans includes a safetyfeature revents running engagement of thevpair of ears unless theoperator of the machine has each place on' control switches which mustbe simultaneously actuated before the machine can 1 v started. I

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PAT ENTS 10 Claims, 7 Drawin Figures2,961,813 11/1960 cause ...........1.. ..,.......;.Q, 73/162 MACHINE FORRUNNING TOGETHER BEVEL ORv ll-llYlPOlli) GEARS TO DETERMINE OPTIMUMRUNNING POSTTION OF ONE GEAR RELATIVE TO ANOTHER BACKGROUND AND BRIEFDESCRIPTION OF INVENTION This invention relates to machines of a wellknown type which are designed for running together pairs of bevel orhypoid gears for the purpose of testing such gears as to their runningqualities, tooth bearing contact, and the like, or for smoothing orfinishing the gears by lapping, honing, burnishing or like operations.The gears of the pair may both be work gears, such as a gear and pinionpair, or one of them may be a work gear and the other a master gear or agear shaped tool. The present invention is especially concerned withproviding for safety improvements which permit an operator to safelycarry out manual adjustment of posi- I tion of one gear of a pairrelative to the other gear of the pair while the two gears are inrunning engagement. 1

There is a substantial body of prior art on the general form andfunction of machines which are the subject of this specification.Typically, prior arts machines have varied from relatively simpledesigns which include manual adjustment means for carrying out initialand final positioning of one gear relative to another for testing ortreating such gears while in running engagement with one another, torelatively complex designs which automatically bring a pair of gearsinto running engagement for testing or treating purposes. Arepresentative, and by no means exhaustive, listing of prior art on thisgeneral subject includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,909,088; 2,111,170; 2,961,873;3,069,813; 3,099,901; 3,176,512; and 3,528,286, as well as numerousother patents by Oliver F. Bauer.

The present invention is directed to testing and treating machines ofrelatively simple design which provide for manual adjustment of theposition of one gear relative to another while the two gears are inrunning engagement. The machine of this invention can be used fortesting running qualities of a pair of gears, such as a pinion and gearset used in motor vehicle differential assemblies, after the gear pieceshave been manufactured and before they are installed in a finalassembly.

The machine can be set up to establish a theoretical meshingrelationship between a pair of gears, as based upon calculations andprior testing of similar gear sets, and the theoretical setting can beobtained by bringing a pair of gears into mesh and then manuallyrotating a screw adjustment means for advancing one gear along the axisof its mate until a theoretical setting is reached. The theoreticalsetting can be read from a vernier scale which is adjusted to give azero readout smooth running engagement with one another. After theoptimum meshing engagement has been determined, the operator can readoff the adjustment which has been made in comparison to the initialtheoretical positions of the gears, and this information is recorded andused in installing the gear set in an actual assembly.

Unlike prior arrangements, which permit the operator to reach into themeshing area of a pair of gears while the machine is running, thepresent invention requires that both hands of an operator be occupiedinspaced apart positions to actuate switches required for an operation ofthe machine. This prevents a running engagement of the two gears untilsuch time as two separate switches are simultaneously held in positionsfor closing a circuit for the machine, and the operator must use bothhands to actuate the switches. One of the two switches is associatedwith a manual adjustment means which functions to carry out pinion conesearching after the gears have been brought into a theoretical runningpositions relative to one another. This permits the operator to continuefinal adjustment of position of one gear relative to the other todetermine optimum running information without endangerment to theoperator.

The specific improvements of the present invention include a firstmanual adjustment means for adjusting the position of one gear relativeto another to establish a theoretical setting between the two gearsprior to running the gears together and a second manual adjustment meansfor further adjusting the position of the one gear relative to the otherwhile the pair of gears is in running engagement. The second manualadjustment means includes an actuating means for changing its conditionfrom an inoperative condition, in which the machine cannot be operatedto run the pair of gears together, to an operative condition in whichthe gears can be run together while an adjustment is being made.

In a specific embodiment of the invention, the first and second manualadjustment means are each operatively associated with a single wormmember for effecting a movement of housing structure in which one of thegears is carried. The second manual adjustment means includes a handgrip means having a first handle portion and a second handle portion,with the first handle portion being mounted for movement about a pivotalaxis relative to the second handle portion so that the two portions canbe squeezed together to change the condition of the second manualadjustment means from inoperative to operative. The first handle portionincludes an engaging means for releasably engaging the second manualadjustment means with the worm member which must be rotated to efiectadjustment. I

An electrical switch means is operatively associated with the hand gripof the second manual adjustment means, and the electrical switch isactuated to close a circuit required for operation of the machine whenthe two handle portions are squeezed together to carry out finaladjustment of one gear relative to the other while the gears are runningtogether in mesh.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will bemore fully appreciated in the detailed discussion which follows. In thatdiscussion reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, asbriefly described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the typeof machine to which the improvements of the present invention areapplied;

FIG. 2 is a top plan diagrammatic outline of basic relationships betweencomponents of the machine illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view, in enlarged scale, of first and second manualadjustment means associated with the machine illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view, in cross section, taken on line 4-4 ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the structures shown in FIG. 3 asseen on line 5-5 thereof;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of a portion of the second actuatingmeans of FIG. 5 as seen on line 66 thereof; and

FIG. 7 is a highly simplified circuit diagram for a basic drive circuitassociated with the manual adjustment means of the machine'of thisinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate basicrelationships which are known in prior art testing machines of the typecontemplated herein. In such machines, a first gear 10 is mounted on aspindle 12 carried within a housing or column 14 which can be advancedor retracted along an axis 16 (see FIG. 2). A second gear 18 is likewisemounted on a spindle 20 carried within a housing structure or column 22which can be advanced and retracted along an axis 24 (see FIG. 2). Thus,the two gears can be mounted on their respective spindles and thenbrought into meshing engagement by an advance ment of one of thehousings relative to the other. In the illustrated machine, which is ofa type for running together a gear (the first gear 10) and a pinion (thesecond gear 18), means (not shown) are not provided for bringing the twogears into meshing engagement by an advancement of the housing 22 alongthe axis 24 (which is parallel to the Y-Y axis ofthe first gear 10).Machines of this type usually include hydraulic means for bringing apair of gears into initial engagement, and means may be provided forrotating one or both of the gears during initial meshing to make surethat the gears mate with one another.

After the pair of gears has been brought into meshing engagement, thegears may be run together by applying a driving moment to one of thegears, and the driving moment is then imparted to the other gear of thepair. In the illustrated arrangement of FIG. 2, the

second gear 18 is driven with a drive motor 26 interconnected'to thesecond gear 18 by way of a drive belt 28 and the spindle 20 upon whichthe gear 18 is mounted. This driving moment is applied to the first gear10 and its spindle 12. A known braking means 30 may be operativelyassociated with the driven spindle 12 for applying a variable brake loadto the spindle as the gears are running together. In addition, a secondbraking means 32 may be provided for selectively applying a relativelylight drag to the spindle l2 and its associated first gear 10 duringrunning engagement of the two gears. With this arrangement, the machinecan be used for various testing and treating operations which require arunning engagement of the two gears with one of the gears being drivenand the other being braked.

The type of testing operation with which the present invention isconcerned is one of providing for pinion cone searching during runningengagement of the gears 10 and 18. This operation requires a provisionfor precise adjustment of the gear 10 along a path of travel which isparallel to the axis X-X of the gear 18 so that an optimum runningcondition for the gear 10 can be determined by changes in noise levelproduced during such running engagement and adjustment. This type oftesting is well known and has been carried out both manually andautomatically, as described, for example, in US. Pat. No. 3,528,286. Themachine of the present invention is of a type which provides for manualadjustment of the gear 10 relative to the gear 18 during runningengagement of the two gears to determine an optimum position of the gear10 relative to the gear 18.

Generally, manual adjustment of the gear 10 relative to the gear 118 iseffected by rotation of a worm member 34 (see FIG. 2) which is threadedthrough a structure 35 secured to the housing 14 so as to advance orretract the housing 14 relative to a base 36 (see FIG. 1) as the wormmember is rotated in one direction or the other. The housing 14 ismounted relative to the base 36 so as to move on slide ways 38 betweenthe two structures, and this overall arrangement is well I known and isnot a separate part of the present invention. Similar arrangements havebeen proposed in certain of the prior art patents mentioned above, anddescriptions of those patents showing such arrangements are incorporatedhereinby reference to the extent necessary to provide a backgroundunderstanding of the various ways in which one gear of a pair can beadjusted relative to the other gear of the pair along a line which isparallel to the axis of the other gear. FIG. 2 shows a first manualadjustment means 40 for rotating the worm member 34 to establish atheoretical setting between the pair of gears prior to running the gearstogether, and, in addition, there is shown a second manual adjustmentmeans 42 which can be releasably engaged with the same worm member 34for further adjusting the position of the gear 10 relative to the gear18 while the gears are running together. As will be discussed in greaterdetail below, the second manual adjustment means 42 includes a safetyfeature which prevents operation of the machine while adjustment isbeing carried out with the worm member 34 until the condition of thesecond manual adjustment means has been changed from an inoperative oneto an operative one.

FIGS. 3-6 illustrate details of construction and assembly of the firstand second manual adjustment means 40 and 42 which are used fordetermining optimum running positions for a pair of gears.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and4, the and 4, manual adjustment means 40 includesa hand wheel 44 secured to an extension of the shaft which makes up theworm member 34. The hand wheel 44 is secured with a key 46 inserted in akey way formed in a reduced diameter, terminal end portion of the wormmember shaft so that manual rotation of the hand wheel 44 imparts adirect rotation to the worm member 34. The worm member shaft is mountedin suitable bearings (not shown) and lubricated in a well known mannerto provide for ease of rotation of the worm member to effect positionchanges in the gear 10. The first manual adjustment means also carries acollar element 48 upon which a scale 50 is inscribed for providing aread out of position of the manual adjustment means relative to apointer element 52 carried on a non-rotating portion of the assembly.

In use, the first manual adjustment means 40 functions to adjust theposition of the first gear I0 relative to the second gear 13 prior tooperation of the machine to run the gears together. In fact, the drivemotor 26 of the machine cannot be operated while the first manualadjustment means 40 is being used by an operator since its controlcircuit remains open until the operator removes his hands from the firstmanual adjustment means 40 and actuates the second manual adjustmentmeans 42. The first manual adjustment means 40 is used to establish atheoretical or nominal setting of the positions of gears and 18 asdetermined from previous calculations for similar gear sets. Thissetting can be established with the aid of the scale 50 which has beenpreviously adjusted in its relationship to the hand wheel 44 to providea zero read out when the theoretical setting for the gears has beenattained.

After theoretical setting of the gear pair has been established with thefirst manual adjustment means 40, final adjustment is carried out whilethe gears are running together so that changes in noise level duringoperation can be detected by the operator. This final adjustmentrequires carefully controlled and precise increments of change inposition of one gear relative to the other, and for this purpose, thesecond manual adjustment means 42 is in the form ofa relatively longlever arm which allows very small rotational moments to be manuallyimparted to the same worm member 34 which was initially adjusted tobring the gear pair into a theoretical setting. FIGS. 3-6 each disclosedetails of construction and assembly of thesecond manual adjustmentmeans 42.

As shown in FIGS. 35, the second manual adjustment means 42 comprises anassembly which is mounted to normally freely rotate relative to anextended portion of the worm member 34. The assembly includes sections54 and 56 which are secured together, as shown in FIG. 4, to enclose apulley means or other cylindrical surface formation 58 secured to theworm member shaft by a key 60. The sections 54 and 56 ride on lubricatedsurfaces 62 of the element 58 so as to freely rotate relative to theelement 58 until such time as the second manual adjustment means isactuated to be brought into positive driving engagement with the wormmember. I

The second adjustment means 42 further comprises a hand grip meanshaving a first handle portion 64 and a second handle portion 66. Thesecond handle portion 66 is fixed to the sections 54 and 56 of the mainbody of the manual adjustment means so as to rotate the sections 54 and56 about the axis of the worm member 34 when the handgrip is moved by anoperator. The first handle portion 64 is mounted for movement about apivot axis through a pivot pin 68 relative to the second handle portion66. As shown in FIG. 6, the pivot pin secures the first handle portion64 to the second handle portion 66 and provides for relative movementtherebetween. A spring member 70 (FIG. 5) normally urges the firsthandle portion 64 upwardly away from the second handle portion 66.

The first handle portion 64 functions as an actuating means for changingthe condition of the second manual adjustment means 42 fromaninoperative condition, in which the machine cannot be operated to runthe pair of gears together, to an operative condition in which the gearscan be run together while an adjustment is being made. This isaccomplished by providing means in association with the first handleportion 64 for (a) closing a circuit which must be completed forsimultaneous operation of a switch which brings the drive motor 26 intooperation, and for (b) engaging the normally disengaged manualadjustment means 42 with the screw member 34. In order to close acircuit for operation of the machine, the first handle portion 64carries a switch element 76 on a mounting block 74 so that the switchelement closes a circuit when the mounting block is pivoted with thehandle portion 64 to the position shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 indicates theswitch 76 which must be closed to partially complete a control circuitfor the machine, and this switch is the one actuated by movement of thehandle portion 64 to the position shown in FIG. 5 where the two handleportions 64 and 66 have been squeezed together by an operator.

As the first handle portion 64 is squeezed toward the second handleportion 66, it also functions to bring the first manual adjustment means42 into operative engagement with the worm member 34. As shown in FIG.

5, a band member or strap 78 extends from the movable handle portion 64,around the cylindrical surface of the structure 58, and to afixed-position mounting block 80 carried within the assembly. When thefirst handle portion 64 is in a disengaged position relative to thesecond handle portion 66, the band member 78 is relatively slack anddoes not make a frictional engagement with the cylindrical surface ofthe structure 58. However, when the first handle portion 64 is squeezedtoward the second handle portion 66, the band member 78 is drawn intotight frictional engagement with the cylindrical surface formation,thereby allowing rotational movement to be applied to the worm member 34as the squeezed-together handle portions 64 and 66 are moved up or downby an operator. Thus, a squeezing together of the two handle portions ofthe second handle adjustment means results in a positive engagement ofthe adjustment means with the screw member 34 to be rotated and in aclosing of a circuit which is required before a second switch can beactuated to operate the drive motor 26 to drive the meshed gears mountedin the machine. Tension on the band member 78 can be adjusted with ascrew 79 which adjusts the position of a mounting block SI that carriesone end of the band member.

As shown in FIG. 7, the second switch comprises a push button fordriving the drive motor 26 in a forward direction and a similar pushbutton switch 90' may be used for reversing the drive motor to reversethe direction of rotation of the gears being run together. As shown inFIG. I, the switches 90 and 90 are located in positions where they canbe actuated by the right hand of an operator while his left hand issqueezing the handle portions 64 and 66 of the second manual adjustmentmeans. Thus, both hands of the opera tor are occupied, and there is nodanger that one hand may reach into the area where the gears are mountedwhile they are running together.

In use of the machine, an operator mounts the gears 10 and 18 on theirrespective spindles I2 and 20. Then, the gears are brought together byan advancement of the gear 18 along the axis 24 with a hydraulic controlsystem which is not illustrated. After bringing the gears together, thefirst manual adjustment means 40 can be used to establish atheoretically correct positioning of the gears, and the second manualadjustment means 42 can be used to search for an optimum setting for thegears in the manner discussed above. Having described the structionaland functional features of a specific embodiment of the machine of thisinvention, it can be appreciated that the principles of the inventioncan be applied to similar and other types of machines requiring the typeof running engagement of a pair of gears and adjustment of same offeredby the disclosed machine. Such applications of the principles of thisinvention are considered to be within the scope of the invention asdefined in the claims below.

What is claimed is:

l. in a machine of a type for running together a pair of gears and whichincludes a manual adjustment means for changing the position of a firstgear of the pair in the direction of the axis of rotation of a secondgear of the pair, while the pair of gears is in meshing engagement, soas to determine an optimum running position for the pair of gears, theimprovement in said manual adjustment means comprising:

a first manual adjustment means for adjusting the position of said firstgear in the direction of the axis of rotation of the second gear toestablish a theoretical setting between the pair of gears prior torunning the gears together, and

a second manual adjustment means for further adjusting the position ofsaid first gear relative to the second gear while the pair of gears isin running engagement, said second manual adjustment means havingactuating means for changing the condition of said second manualadjustment means from an inoperative condition, in which the machinecannot be operated to run the pair of gears together, to an operativecondition in which the gears can be run together while an adjustment isbeing made.

2. The machine of claim 1 wherein each gear of said pair is mounted onits own spindle means carried within an associated housing structure,and wherein said first manual adjustment means includes a worm memberwhich is rotated by the first adjustment means to effect a movement ofthe housing structure of one of the gears relative to the other gear ofthe pair.

3. The machine of claim 2 wherein said second manual adjustment meanscan be brought into engagement with said worm member, when in itsoperative condition. for rotating the worm member to effect adjustmentof one of said gears.

4. The machine of claim 3 wherein said actuating means of said secondmanual adjustment means in- Cludes a handgrip means having a firsthandle portion and a second handle portion, with said first handleportion being mounted for movement about a pivot axis relative tosaidsecond handle portion so that the two portions can be squeezed togetherto 5 change the condition of the second manual adjustment means to anoperative condition. engaging means connected to said first handleportion for engaging structure associated with said worm member whensaid first handle portion is squeezed toward said second handle portion,

electrical switch means operatively associated with said handgrip meansfor being actuated by a squeezing together of said first and secondhandle portions, said electrical switch means functioning, whenactuated, a circuit which permits operation of the machine to run saidpair of gears together in meshing engagement with each other.

5. The machine of claim 4 wherein said circuit includes a separatecontrol switch for actuating a drive motor that drives one of the gearsof said pair.

6. The machine of claim 4 wherein said engaging means includes a bandmember which is drawn into tight frictional engagement with acylindrical surface formation of said worm member when said first handleportion is moved about its pivot axis toward said second handle portion,said band member being connected to said first handle portion formovement therewith.

7. The machine of claim 6 and including means for adjusting tension ofsaid band member.

8. The machine of claim 4 and including spring means for normally urgingsaid first and second handle portions away from each other.

9. In a machine having a drive motor means for driving a first gear of apair in mesh with a second gear of the pair for the purpose of testingrunning engagement of the pair of gears, the improvement comprising acontrol circuit including said drive motor means and having a firstswitch means for starting and stopping the drive motor means when thecontrol circuit is closed,

a second switch means included in said control circuit and operativelyassociated with an adjustment means which functions to adjust theposition of said first gear relative to said second gear while the gearsare running together, and

a power source included in said control circuit in such a way that saidadjustment means cannot be operated until both of said first and secondswitch means are manually actuated and manually held in closed positionsto close the control circuit.

10. The improvement of claim 9 wherein said adjustment means includes ahandgrip means which must be grasped by one hand of an operator to closesaid second switch means while the other hand of the operator is held onsaid first switch means.

1. In a machine of a type for running together a pair of gears and whichincludes a manual adjustment means for changing the position of a firstgear of the pair in the direction of the axis of rotation of a secondgear of the pair, while the pair of gears is in meshing engagement, soas to determine an optimum running position for the pair of gears, theimprovement in said manual adjustment means comprising: a first manualadjustment means for adjusting the position of said first gear in thedirection of the axis of rotation of the second gear to establish atheoretical setting between the pair of gears prior to running the gearstogether, and a second manual adjustment means for further adjusting theposition of said first gear relative to the second gear while the pairof gears is in running engagement, said second manual adjustment meanshaving actuating means for changing the condition of said second manualadjustment means from an inoperative condition, in which the machinecannot be operated to run the pair of gears together, to an operativecondition in which the gears can be run together while an adjustment isbeing made.
 2. The machine of claim 1 wherein each gear of said pair ismounted on its own spindle means carried within an associated housingstructure, and wherein said first manual adjustment means includes aworm member which is rotated by the first adjustment means to effect amovement of the housing structure of one of the gears relative to theother gear of the pair.
 3. The machine of claim 2 wherein said secondmanual adjustment means can be brought into engagement with said wormmember, when in its operative condition, for rotating the worm member toeffect adjustment of one of said gears.
 4. The machine of claim 3wherein said actuating means of said second manual adjustment meansincludes a handgrip means having a first handle portion and a secondhandle portion, with said first handle portion beIng mounted formovement about a pivot axis relative to said second handle portion sothat the two portions can be squeezed together to change the conditionof the second manual adjustment means to an operative condition.engaging means connected to said first handle portion for engagingstructure associated with said worm member when said first handleportion is squeezed toward said second handle portion, electrical switchmeans operatively associated with said handgrip means for being actuatedby a squeezing together of said first and second handle portions, saidelectrical switch means functioning, when actuated, a circuit whichpermits operation of the machine to run said pair of gears together inmeshing engagement with each other.
 5. The machine of claim 4 whereinsaid circuit includes a separate control switch for actuating a drivemotor that drives one of the gears of said pair.
 6. The machine of claim4 wherein said engaging means includes a band member which is drawn intotight frictional engagement with a cylindrical surface formation of saidworm member when said first handle portion is moved about its pivot axistoward said second handle portion, said band member being connected tosaid first handle portion for movement therewith.
 7. The machine ofclaim 6 and including means for adjusting tension of said band member.8. The machine of claim 4 and including spring means for normally urgingsaid first and second handle portions away from each other.
 9. In amachine having a drive motor means for driving a first gear of a pair inmesh with a second gear of the pair for the purpose of testing runningengagement of the pair of gears, the improvement comprising a controlcircuit including said drive motor means and having a first switch meansfor starting and stopping the drive motor means when the control circuitis closed, a second switch means included in said control circuit andoperatively associated with an adjustment means which functions toadjust the position of said first gear relative to said second gearwhile the gears are running together, and a power source included insaid control circuit in such a way that said adjustment means cannot beoperated until both of said first and second switch means are manuallyactuated and manually held in closed positions to close the controlcircuit.
 10. The improvement of claim 9 wherein said adjustment meansincludes a handgrip means which must be grasped by one hand of anoperator to close said second switch means while the other hand of theoperator is held on said first switch means.